A pal of mine called me up a few minutes ago and boy was she starving. I truly wanted to help fix something that would whet her appetite and make her feel good at the same time.
Pasta!
It is such a simple meal to make compared to the effects when eating...amazing food made for you in minutes.
I am loving this
cooking Tips
Here's How:
Fill a large stockpot with water. The more the better - pasta only sticks when cooked in too little water.
Add salt. Salt makes pasta taste better, and won't appreciably increase the sodium level of your recipes. Use 1 teaspoon per gallon of water. At that level, 2 ounces of uncooked pasta (1 cup cooked), the FDA serving size, absorbs about 20 mg of sodium which is about 1% of the recommended daily sodium intake. That's nothing.
Bring the water to a rolling boil. This means a boil you can't stop by stirring.
Measure the pasta you need. Pasta generally doubles in size when cooked, so 1 cup uncooked = 2 cups cooked. Refer to the recipe if necessary.
Slowly add the pasta to the boiling water. Ideally, the water shouldn't stop boiling, but if that happens, it's ok.
Stir and stir some more! Pasta will stick together if it isn't stirred during the crucial first moments of cooking. Don't add oil, because that will make the pasta slippery and the sauce won't stick to it when it's done.
Start timing when the water returns to a boil. Most pastas cook in 8-12 minutes. Check the package directions!
You can regulate the heat so the pasta/water mixture doesn't foam up and over the pot sides. Lower it the tiniest bit, and everything should be under control.
Really the only way to tell if the pasta is correctly cooked is to taste it. It should be 'al dente' - firm, yet tender, with a tiny core in the middle.
You can also cut into a piece you've fished out of the pot. There shouldn't be any solid white in the center of the pasta - just a shading to more opaque cream color.
Now drain the pasta into a colander placed into your kitchen sink. Lift the colander and shake off excess water.
Don't rinse if you're serving a hot dish. That removes the starch that helps hold the sauce. If you are making a cold salad, rinse so the salad isn't sticky. On the other hand, I never rinse my pasta for cold main dish salads, simply because I like how the hot pasta absorbs the dressing. It's up to you!
Use the pasta in the recipe. Toss it into simmering sauce, mix it with a cold sauce, add to salads or use in frittatas.
Tips:
By covering the pot when you bring water to a boil, you are lowering the air pressure directly over the water, making it easier to boil.
Never mix pasta types in one pot. They all have different cooking times.
Watch the cooking process carefully. Pasta can overcook very quickly.
If the pasta is to be used in a casserole, undercook it slightly. It will finish cooking to perfection while in the oven or skillet.
What You Need
stock pot
water
pasta
salt
long handled spoon
kitchen timer
Enjoy your pasta with Peace and Love,
Esi
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